Blackbearding?!

[MurderVictim]

A minute ago I got up to check on Wolfgang, and his beard is completely black. It's not puffed up...And he doesn't seem irritated. He's wrapped in a blanket on my lap just looking around, alert and moving around. His belly is grayish, but maybe that's because he's about to shed part of his body?

I'm just freaking out right now....

He went to the bathroom earlier, no real problems. I'm wondering if this might be due to a parasite? There was some poop near the corner of his cage where he was (which isn't unusual for him to be) and it's not formed. But the waste from before was fine...

He's moving around and acting like his normal self, so maybe something really freaked him out? He's not one to try to bit and be mean when he's bothered, so...I'm just so confused...He just went to the bathroom again, and it's not formed, not really liquid, just not formed.

Temp on hot side of viv: Normally 95-103 (Was about 96 when I took him out, but I turned it on not too long ago)
Temp on cool side: Never goes above 85
UV light: Repti-Halogen bulb (Working on getting Repti-Sun. No real issues seen with this bulb yet)

(I did give him a couple bits of fresh orange last night, which was the first time giving it to him. I think he only had one small bite, but maybe that could be why?)

Help??

 

[dylanravenj]

He might have seen something that scared him and caused his beard to blacken

 

[MurderVictim]

I hope that's the case...The tip of his tail is dark, too.

He's about eight months now, so maybe this is his "teenager" stage? He's still very alert and is basking at the moment. I'm thinking the orange upset his stomach...Like strawberries did a couple months back...

 

[diamc]

Beardies are not supposed to be fed citrus because of the high Vitamin A and may actually be rough on their stomachs. So, I would stay away from that. How long was it before he started acting normally again?

 

[MurderVictim]

I read it on the beardie nutrition site (name escapes me at the moment) that it was okay for sometimes. But I really should have thought it out before bouncing up and rushing to the kitchen to cut him some. I think it was...until about three or four PM? He had started blackbearding early in the afternoon, and it gradually faded. He did it a couple times the next day, but not as long and dark.

 

[fluffpuffgerbil]

My boy Scout randomly blackbeards now and then. He did a lot during his 'teen age' of about the age yours is at.

About the vitamin A though, I thought I read on here that fruits and veggies with Vitamin A in them don't contain enough to cause any damage unless they're eating them in HUGE amounts? That is of course, if the vitamin you're dusting the dragon's food with doesn't have vitamin A....